We’re Not Great if We’re Not Up in Space!
H. Con. Res. 124 would express the sense of the Congress that President Obama’s delays in implementing a clear mission for the American space program represent a clear threat to American exceptionalism.
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WashingtonWatch.com Digest – May 14, 2012
This is the WashingtonWatch.com email newsletter for the week of May 14, 2012. Subscribe (free!) here.
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Everyone’s Against Violence Against Women
So everyone’s in favor of the Violence Against Women Act, right?
A bill to reauthorize the law goes to the House floor this week.
The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 was signed by President Bill Clinton. The Act provided $1.6 billion toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposed automatic and mandatory restitution on people convicted of violence against women, and allowed civil suits in cases prosecutors chose to leave unprosecuted. The Act also established the Office on Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice.
The reauthorization bill would authorize spending of about $660 million annually over fiscal 2013-2017 for programs in the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services. Most of that is for Justice Department grants to state, local, and tribal governments and nonprofit organizations for programs to reduce violence against women and to provide legal assistance for victims, outreach services for victims of rural domestic violence, and training for investigators and prosecutors of sexual assault crimes. HHS grants would go for rape prevention and education programs, programs to educate health professionals who address domestic violence and other crimes, and “collaborative grants” to assist homeless victims.
In addition, H.R. 4970 would establish new federal crimes and broaden the coverage of existing crimes relating to violence against women. Finally, the bill would reduce the number of immigrants who can get legal permanent resident status based on their U visas, which are issued to people who were victims of specified crimes and who are assisting or are expected to assist law enforcement officials in the investigation and prosecution of those crimes.
The quick summary? The bill spends about $16 per U.S. family.
Of course, our politicians are fighting over the bill. Republicans are moving a different bill than the one the Senate passed in April. The Democrats say thats part of a Republican “war on women.”
Voting against the Violence Against Women Act seems like about the meanest thing a person could do, just given the name. So watch for this bill to pass.
WashingtonWatch.com Digest – May 7, 2012
This is the WashingtonWatch.com email newsletter for the week of May 7, 2012. Subscribe (free!) here.
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And They’re Off! FY 2013 Spending
Spending season kicks into full gear this week. The House will debate H.R. 5326, which spends money on the operation of the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and on science-related programs. That spending, for fiscal year 2013, adds up to a little over $600 per U.S. family.
A second bill is in the House’s pipeline. H.R. 5325 spends on energy and water development and related agencies. Its spending adds up to $390 per family.
Not to be outdone, the Senate is moving bills, too. We’ve seen four bills introduced.
- S. 2322, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013;
- S. 2323, the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013;
- S. 2375, The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013; and
- S. 2465, The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013.
The appropriate committee reports haven’t been filed yet, so we can’t tell you much these bills spend. Twice as many bills—half the information. Let’s say the House and Senate are neck and neck.
Congress is supposed to be done with all twelve annual spending bills by June 30th. That would give the agencies time to plan for the fiscal year’s beginning, which is on October 1st. They haven’t done this right in a couple of decades, but they’re off to a good start so far.
Because Every Dumb Idea Should Be Illegal
Congress is considering H.R. 5050, the Social Networking Online Protection Act, which would prohibit employers from requiring or requesting that employees provide a user name, password, or other means for accessing a personal account on a social networking website.
Transparency News
Becky Sweger of the National Priorities Project has a guest post on the Sunlight Foundation blog going into some of the latest transparency news. And the news is not all that good…
She was kind enough to link to our effort to get YOU to help improve transparency. Thanks, Becky!
Now click the link above so you can weigh in with your representatives about improving government transparency.
Petition on Fort McClellan Toxic Exposure
A petition entitled, “Equal Medical Rights for the Fort McClellan Toxic Exposure Veterans,” got its start here yesterday, and it already has over 75 signers.
Its purpose is to seek passage of a medical and disability bill for service veterans of Fort McClellan, Alabama. That’s H.R. 2052, The Fort McClellan Health Registry Act.
That bill has plenty of votes and comments, including a fair amount of “trolling” from one or more people who don’t want to see the bill succeed. We’re big on free speech around here, but you don’t have to listen, so we’ve created comment controls for logged-in users.
Here’s a benefit of petitioning: On petition pages, only petition signers can comment, and the petition creator can exclude commenters who try to be disruptive.
You can learn more about petitions. The Fort McClellan toxic exposure veterans’ petition has plenty of information about their side of the issue.
The Congressional Caper Caper
…might just improve your salads and other dishes calling for just the right piquancy!
H.R. 5272 would extend the temporary suspension of duty on capers, prepared or preserved by vinegar or acetic acid, in containers holding 3.4 kg or less
H.R. 5275 would extend the temporary suspension of duty on capers, prepared or preserved by vinegar or acetic acid, in immediate containers holding more than 3.4 kg.
Perhaps you prefer pepperoncini peppers.
We’re Not Clowning Around
There is a Strategic Helium Reserve.